Buying your own insurance? Minnesotans can sign up through Jan. 13

You can’t always believe everything you read on the internet. Minnesotans who buy their own insurance have until Jan. 13, 2019, to sign up. The posts on Facebook and other sites about enrollment ending Dec. 15, 2018, aren’t accurate for Minnesotans.

The Dec. 15 deadline for Minnesotans is to have insurance that starts Jan. 1, 2019. If you wait until after Dec. 15, the policy doesn’t start until Feb. 1, 2019.

This year about 155,000 Minnesotans bought their own insurance, either directly from a health insurer, through MNsure or with the help of a broker or agent. At MNsure.org, Minnesotans can see if they can get federal help paying premiums each month, compare policies side-by-side and estimate out-of-pocket costs. People who have a policy right now can check to see if their 2018 plan will be available in 2019. If you have questions, call the number on the back of your insurance card.

If you don’t sign up by Jan. 13, you have to wait until November 2019. There are limited exceptions where some people could qualify to sign up outside of open enrollment.